April 5, 2006

Hilarious Farce "Noises Off" Opens Tonight

"Noises Off" opens tonight in the Chappelear Drama Center. Pictured on the couch are Dan Whalen and Diane Harvey. The cast behind (L to R) are Nathan Truman, Tavish Miller, Barbara Eldredge, Eric Magnus, Blaire Hayden, Chelsea Kilbourne, and Kevin Barron. (photo courtesy of Department of Theatre & Dance)

Ohio Wesleyan's production of Noises Off, the British farce written by Michael Frayn, opens tonight at 8 p.m. on the main stage of the Chappelear Drama Center, located at the corner of Park Ave. and Washington Street. The show will run at 8 p.m. nightly through Saturday, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

First performed in London in 1983, Noises Off follows a small theatre company's production of a "sex farce" called Nothing On, and the hilarious mix-ups that take place on and off-stage. In different acts, the audience will see Nothing On from both the perspective of the show's audience, and as a "fly on the wall" backstage. The multiple perspectives are made possible by an elaborate set, involving a two-story stage, designed by OWU's technical director Chadwyn Knutson, which is able to turn completely around between the first and second act. 

The intricate set design is just one of the things that makes Noises Off a "complex show," says Glen Vanderbilt, professor of theatre & dance, department chairperson, and director of Noises Off.

"By giving the audience a chance to see things from backstage, the play sort of comments on itself," Vanderbilt says. "It adds another layer."

Junior Kevin Barron, who plays "Gary playing Roger," says that the multi-layered structure of the play has added a level of complexity to the performance choices of the actors. 

"It's challenging playing a character within a character," Barron says. "This was most difficult during rehearsal. If our character within the play is confused, it is sometimes difficult for the stage manager to know which 'actor' is confused."

Though in the original script, Nothing On is a British production, Vanderbilt decided to portray it as an American version of the British play, with both British and American actors. Each member of OWU's cast speaks in a British dialect at some point in the play, but those who play American actors must switch back and forth between British and American dialects. Melissa Nutting, on the faculty of the Otterbein College department of theatre & dance, worked with actors as a guest-artist dialect coach.

"The dialect coaching was very helpful," Barron says. "Before, we could do a British dialect, but we could not do it well."

The play's many layers, while presenting challenges for the actors, ultimately contributes the play's humor through its mishaps. Vanderbilt says that as a farce, the play is basically composed of traditional character "types." Sophomore Nathan Truman, who plays "Tim, the anxiety-prone production manager," notes that the generality of the characters in the script allows for a lot of interpretive freedom for the actors. 

"In the play, a lot of the humor has to be very broad. There's the dumb guy, and the angry guy. I am the nervous, sleepy guy, and he's the old alcoholic guy," Truman says, referring to freshman Tavish Miller, who plays Selsdon Mowbray, an actor who plays a burglar in Nothing On.

There is also a lot of physicality in the play. All three acts are fast-paced, full of slamming doors and demanding physical comedy. Act II in particular, which shows the play from the backstage, fly-on-the-wall perspective is uniquely challenging because it is largely pantomime. Because Nothing On is taking place on the other side of the set, the characters must be quiet backstage.

"There's a lot of acting going on in that act," Vanderbilt says. "The script actually has two columns, one describing what's going on upstage and one describing what's going on backstage. It's frantic and frenzied. It was very difficult to rehearse, because it's really a form of choreography, with tightly paced movement. And it all interrelates."

Barron also recalls the difficulty rehearsing scenes in which the emphasis is on physicality, not dialogue.

"When rehearsing [Act II] it's not like you can call for a line. You have to say, what am I supposed to be doing?" Barron says.

Truman agrees that the second act is not only the most hectic, but the funniest.

"The second act requires the full attention from the audience," Truman says. "The play within a play is happening while everything falls apart on both sides. Everyone is running in and out. There are lots of accidents. There's also an axe, not a real axe, but it would hurt if you hit someone with it."

Despite the challenges presented by the play's multiple layers, actors and director agree that the show promises to be a riotous, hilarious experience. Junior Diane Harvey says that the chemistry between the cast has been particularly strong, both personally and professionally.

"We play off each other really well," Harvey says.

Miller, who is making his acting debut on the OWU stage, agrees.

"I became much closer with the cast. I thought we bonded really well," Miller says. 

In addition to Nutting, Vanderbilt brought in guest artist Ryan Osborn from the Mershon Auditorium on Ohio State's campus to design the show's lighting. Costume shop manager and designer Jackie Shelley designed the costumes.

Tickets are available in the department office from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. through Friday or by calling 740-368-3855. Ticket prices are $7 for general admission, $6 for faculty, and $5 for students with proper identification. Tickets may be reserved by calling the box office. The house opens 30 minutes before curtain time. Group discounts are available.

"There's a lot of coming and going, bumping into each other, or not, people missing each other, mistaken identity, coincidences," Vanderbilt says. "It's all ultimately a whole lot of fun."

— Maggie Roush